bumpy
Americanadjective
-
of uneven surface; full of bumps.
a bumpy road.
-
full of jolts.
a bumpy ride.
-
causing jolts.
Bumpy air shook the airplane.
-
having many difficulties or failures; full of ups and downs.
He had a rather bumpy career before he settled down in his present job.
adjective
-
having an uneven surface
a bumpy road
-
full of jolts; rough
a bumpy flight
Other Word Forms
- bumpily adverb
- bumpiness noun
Etymology
Origin of bumpy
Explanation
Bumpy means not smooth, as in covered in lumps and bumps, like a bumpy path that makes your car bounce, or a bumpy road to getting your parents to lend you the car. Anything covered in bumps is bumpy, whether it’s a road, the skin of a toad, or the surface of the birthday cake you made for your brother. It can also describe a ride full of unexpected jolts and bumps: "It was a bumpy journey along the mountain passes in her Jeep." Figuratively, bumpy can also describe a difficult process: "What a bumpy ride that was, getting my visa to travel to China!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In “Bigger Than Fashion: How ‘Streetwear’ Conquered Culture,” Tyler Watamanuk, a longtime writer for GQ, chronicles the slow and bumpy ride to success of a naive group of outsider and self-funded creatives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Raymond James’ Prentiss acknowledged that the road for Disney could be bumpy over the near term.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
It’s been a bumpy ride lately for air travelers.
From Slate • Mar. 24, 2026
The rover also spotted small, bumpy structures called nodules.
From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026
The softness of the fabric, the bumpy stitching, the frayed edges.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
